14: Lesson Plans

"How do you feel about getting instructors for the girls?"

Today is a beautiful summer day, perfect for a mid afternoon, tea or is a late luncheon, outside. Despite the warm sun shining down the atmosphere is very cold and silent. Great job at ruining the mood grampa. It's dead silent except for the sound of mother choking on her tea, very elegant yes.

But alas pretty people look good no matter what, even choking, I'm no good around these sort of seemingly flawless types. She even cries prettily, which not even Lilyanne could do most the time growing up.

It's up to Father to speak up first, holding mother to comfort her coughing with soothing motions all the while. What a whipped husband. I'm no good around gross couples either.

"It may sound strange coming from me of all people but isn't it far too early for them?"

It's also a rare holiday break for father though they've been increasingly less rare since the kidnapping incident way back. Odd knowing him but well it makes mother and Lilyanne happy to see him around more. As my relatives used to say, happy wife happy life.

"Frederick dear, my thought exactly! Oh papa you can't they're merely babies."

"At this age what could they possibly intake?"

Father gestures to a drooling Lilyanne who is currently attempting to chew on her own foot. Typically rude of him but hilarious, as an adult mentally I still can't hold back laughter at the comedic timing.

"Now now I'm not saying they'll start immediately. It would just be wise to start looking, perhaps interview and get a feel of the candidates."

"Well that does sound rather reasonable."

"Frederick!"

"Maria dear, many noble children start tutoring with a governess and private lessons after the age of two. It wouldn't hurt to look ahead."

"I still think two is too early, children should have time to be children."

Oh? Mother is quite passionate about the matter. I quite approve of her mindset, it's unnecessary to force children to adhere to too much especially too early on. It's something that happens both here to noble children and my own home world. School, classes, extracurricular, lessons, more classes, activities and repeat. It's not the healthiest system to have.

That is if I was a normal child. The idea intrigues me a little. I'm not looking forward to doing any actual work and would prefer to take it easy as much as possible in this life, but it does get boring around here at times. You can only play with Lilyanne and prank the maids a certain amount of times a week before it gets dull.

I hope this means I get more things and places to entertain myself with.

"Well a governess and starting some lessons wouldn't make them any less children. I went through it and so do countless household and their children."

"Frederick it's not the same! You of all people would know how terribly cruel it is to pressure children too much, why your family!"

"I know Maria, I would never put the girls through what I had. But lessons will come soon enough and father isn't being improper in suggesting we start looking."

"Oh Frederick I'm so sorry I shouldn't have mentioned your family into this."

"No no it's more than relevant and my family is terrible and stuffy. and don't know a thing about children. I promise I would never make our girls go through that, traditional customs be damned. I'm sorry for not being clear enough and scaring you.

" I'm so sorry for bringing it up darling, I don't mean to hurt you."

"My Maria you could never hurt me, you-"

"Ahem- could we get uh some more juice for the girls? A refill for m too, yes"

Grampa's awkward interruption stopped my parents before they could get too lovey-dovey from gong off into their own world, It's rather horrifying to watch. I really am no good around such stupidly sweet couples.

Pay attention to your surroundings!

The married couple's still youthfully romantic exposure was getting too much for me to handle. My own parents were nothing like this, even before they separated, so it's quite awkward to experience. Even as an adult, this type of pda is a little too cringey for me to handle.

I never had a long term love interest before I died but even then I could never be even a quarter like that. It's too nauseatingly sweet, like biting into cheap gas station sweets that never expire due to unknown chemicals and loads of sugar in it. Bleh, no thanks.

Mother's concerns are correct though, Rosalia went through a hell of a time with all of her 'schooling'. Getting literally abused wasn't enough no she had to go seek out even more suffering for herself, all the catch up to Lilyanne or bring honor blah blah. That would get her parents' love and affection, yeah sure. If anyone ever wondered where she learned such cruelty then why didn't they look at her education huh? Oh and then there was that god awful queen's training oh crap no anything but that again.

Such a pitiful child really. Well I'll just have to have an extra leisurely life to help make up for it. Let's work smarter instead of harder, I only have my mind as a cheat here. Why couldn't some rare powers or dimensional space come with me too?

"Our apologies father."

"Papa! You're so embarrassing!"

"Now now Maria, it's quite alright. Father means well after all."

"You always side with papa, you and your darn hero worship."

"Maria, my dearest, don't pout, it's not about that. Father really brings up a good point about our girls. Surely you know the importance of early education."

Before the mother could squeak out a response, Grampa's obnoxious roaringlaughing takes over.

"Ha! I remember how you used to cry with snot running all over your face about how much you hated studying! It was so cute and then I beat up whichever teacher made you cried so hard....well except the ones who were too weak to beat up, which was most of them. Still I got to threaten them silly, ahhh good times."

"Papa!"

"Don't be mad Maria, papa wasn't a very good student in his youth either! That's why papa gets yelled at so much by his friends."

"Father...while I disagree on your excellency and many good points, I don't think it's helping. Maria, love of my life regardless of your childhood grades, please put down the plate."

"I hate you papa!"

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With that typical family afternoon tea, it was decided to search far and wide for qualified candidate hopefuls to educate the young twins of the infamous Ventrella Household. To mother and father that meant mentioning the matter to their social and work circles and having their capable people inquire around. Very reasonable and within range of their resources and position.

For grampa it meant literally posting a note on the bulletin board at the training camp.

"Is this really appropriate Ronald?"

"You're right Geoff, it should be much bigger. I'll redo it."

"Sigh, that not what I meant."

We've been tagging along with Grampa to the training grounds a little more often lately. Not as much as I would like personally but it's a start. Not much I can do besides count and look around anyways. Occasionally when gramps isn't looking the soldiers and trainees play with me.

Show me your strength everyone! I won't bite, and even if I do it won't hurt much. Uncle Geoff is a capable nobleman and personally taught us before in the past, it would be more than acceptable if that's the case again.

"I can make some requests myself, it hasn't been too long since my own grandchild was small. But in regards to some lessons, why not test and train them here?"

"Here?! With these brutes?!"

"You're the biggest brute here!"

The people here are too used to grampa's antics and tune him out. Don't worry, I'll be offended for you guys. Yes, he's a terribly rude man and can't appreciate what he has. In the not so far future, you should leave him for me alright!

"Anyways Ronald, they can fit in with the younger trainees lesson plans later on. IF that's still no good well what do you have all these overly specialized instructors here for? Just have a private class or send them over to your home. There's the history lectures, the mathematics courses, writing, we have the people to spare. "

"But my babies..."

"The children will be fine Ronald, everyone knows them here. It will be like back in the day with Maria. Before she grew up to be a fine proper little lady of course."

"Alright but I get to pick which ones and they get all the breaks they want. They're my little girls after all, not rough and touch hero wannabees. Just let me convince Maria- no wait that will most likely never happen. Let me convince that Freddy, there that will work. "

"I'll work on Maria, she reasonably trusts me more on these matters. In fact I think she trusts a great deal of people more."

"You wound me."

I'd like to learn how to wound grampa, please. Teach me that, please and thank you.

The start of our training and lessons is very early compared to before, or maybe I just can't recall that far back. Rosalia may have just blocked out those unpleasant memories, nope never mind she remembers them in scathing detail. Had at least 2 former governesses and a handful of instructors publicly flogged after all. Not the greatest for her reputation but I can't fault her personal code. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

She just needed a PR representative working for her and a lot of things could have been easily avoided or turned around. Again public flogging is a pretty obvious one.

Luckily I have plenty of experience in that....okay it's one of the few things I'm really experienced in. I'm just a normal media graduate and employee, or well I was. A really overworked one but....Okay less thinking about the past, still too depressing.

It would be safer to assume that sped up plans are due to grampa's nosy suggestion this time around. Hey isn't that essentially my fault then?

Well, it's more productive I suppose. I don't know how well Lilyanne will be able to keep up or how many lessons she'll be able to make with her weak body but I'm determined to drag her through a lot more than last time. This not revenge dear but cute little dumb sister, I promise. I just want us to learn lots and lot together!

Lilyanne gnaws on her bread loaf and babbles at me happily as ever, ah ignorance is truly bliss.

I haven't been this excited for lessons since my own preschool days. School itself, eh not so much. I'm not getting my hopes here up either if the original good's memories on traumatic childhood tutoring sessions are anything to go by. Not that I'll let myself be so abused again. What's the point of living two lives if I can't avoid some petty tutors and bad lessons?

It will be interesting to have other regulars to mess with besides the maids though. We didn't start this early in the last time around, so I don't know if we're going to get the same people. Maybe not right now while I'm a pretty helpless mochi, bu perhaps later? When I'm older? There are some scores I wouldn't mind settling.

Ah the other Rosalia was too careless and childish, a public flogging is only satisfying in the short term! To truly get revenge one must maintain their innocent alibi and mentally torture the other party to never dare cross you for the rest of their lives. Silly rich girl, she tarnished her own reputation that way.

Oh well, we'll just have to see. I hope we get some useful instructors for Lilyanne.

And so before we even reach 2 years old, playtime is technically over.

Just technically, I'll be playing a lot still don't you worry about that. Just don't think too hard about what sort of playing.

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Author: Oh parents and their head starts on their kid's educations.